Have a Kosher Turkey I was planning on seasoning w/ herbs, salt and pepper. Should I skip the salt (3 TBS)?

Recipe calls for 6 TBS of unsalted butter, rosemary, thyme, sage, 3 TBS of Kosher salt and 1 1/2 TBS of Pepper. For a 12 - 14 lb bird. Ours is 17, so I was going to up all the seasoning. I know Kosher Turkeys are already treated w/ salt when prepared, so would adding the 3 TBS of salt make the meat too salty?

Cynthea Kimmelman-DeVries
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5 Comments

Susan W.
Susan W. November 26, 2015
As Ali said, koshering doesn't add much saltiness. In fact, koshered birds are less salty than they used to be. They pack them in salt for 30-60 minutes and then soak them in cool water for one hour and then rinse them two more times. You could cut back on the salt a little to account for a slight amount of salt on the bird. Maybe 2 TBS instead of 3. I would not skip the salt completely. Adding salt to food at the table is not the same as cooking with salt.
 
creamtea
creamtea November 26, 2015
I agree with Ali. I only cook kosher poultry--at least one to two chickens per week and of course a turkey every Thanksgiving. You should keep the salt; you could use a little less if wished, but don't eliminate it.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune November 26, 2015
I think I'd use half the salt the recipe calls for.
 
Nancy
Nancy November 26, 2015
I would not add extra salt.
People can always add more to taste at the table, but it's very hard to desalt a bird.
 
Ali S.
Ali S. November 26, 2015
Koshering doesn't really affect the saltiness of the meat too much, so you could add the salt in. Here's another thread with more info: https://food52.com/hotline/29889-is-it-okay-to-brine-a-kosher-turkey

Happy turkeying!
 
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